SCTE TechExpo 2025: A Location Intelligence Guide for Telecom | Waypoint 33

The annual SCTE TechExpo brings together the people who plan, build, and run the networks we all rely on. This year I will be there with Waypoint 33 to help leaders put data on the map so they move faster with more clarity, with a focus on SCTE TechExpo 2025 location intelligence. I have a long history in telecom, much of it using ArcGIS across organizations and sharing what works as a thought leader. I love that a shared map gives you one source of truth for demand, design, construction, and operations, and that it connects to the tools you already use across OSS, BSS, and field workflows.

A single shared map brings balance to your program. It keeps demand, design, build, and care aligned so you move faster with fewer surprises.

Meet Waypoint 33

I help telecom teams weave location intelligence, maps, clean data, and simple workflows into everyday decisions. If your goals include shorter time to revenue, better first time right installs, and one source of truth for field and office, let’s meet at the show. I am booking 30 minute sessions now: https://calendly.com/randall-waypoint33/30min

Why location intelligence matters at SCTE TechExpo 2025

If you are in the industry, you know telecom is not a captive utility. Customers have real choices, builds are capital intensive, expenses must be managed closely, and technology cycles move quickly. This is where GIS and location oriented tools help. Location intelligence lets you see

demand, network capacity, workforce effort, and customer impact in one view so plans match reality. With that clarity, you can choose where to invest, how to phase construction, and when to launch service with confidence.

Who to visit at TechExpo:

While you are at the show, here is my short list of companies to prioritize. They pair location based products and services with people centered workflows your teams will actually use. I suggest using the criteria below to help you decide where to spend your time on the floor.

What to look for

A shared map at the core that becomes a rally point for understanding. Make sure ArcGIS is running in production as the foundation, not just on a slide. Tools built for the people who do the work, with field ready apps, training, and change support. Clean handoffs where design data becomes operational tasks and test results flow back to operations. Clear, provable outcomes with real movement in time to revenue, first time right, and mean time to repair.

Results take a team. Clean handoffs with the right partners move work from design to build to fulfillment

Esri

Esri is the leader in mapping and spatial analytics. ArcGIS gives telecom teams one shared map that connects planning, build, and operations to the systems they already use.

• What they do: Global GIS platform for mapping and spatial analytics across the organization.

• Where it helps: Create one living map that unites demand signals, network design, permits, field observations, and service performance. Support leadership dashboards, construction progress, outage impact, and care routing from the same source of truth.

• What to ask at the booth: Which ArcGIS apps fit our size and roles. How to align our data model and naming. What partners fit your need.

  
  

Calix

Calix powers broadband service creation and customer experience. It connects network data with customer workflows to improve installs, activation, and care.

• What they do: Broadband platforms for service creation, activation, and customer experience.

• Where it helps: Align service availability, installs, and support with the network you actually built. Improve experience with clearer service areas and proactive care playbooks.

• What to ask at the booth: How service definitions and network records stay in sync. What data best supports install quality, upsell, and churn reduction.

Render Networks

Render Networks turns geospatial designs into build execution. It sequences work, forecasts materials, and tracks progress by location so projects stay on plan.

• What they do: Construction management that turns GIS designs into sequenced work.

• Where it helps: Break large builds into production units, forecast materials, track progress by location, and surface blockers early so schedules hold and idle time drops.

• What to ask at the booth: How design data is consumed, what a daily contractor view looks like, and how issues are captured and resolved.

Airworks

AirWorks uses AI to convert imagery and point clouds into GIS ready vectors. Teams accelerate design and quality checks with consistent, mappable features.

• What they do: Automated feature extraction from imagery and point clouds.

• Where it helps: Turn aerials and lidar into vectors for design and QA. Speed surveys, reduce manual digitizing, and standardize assets like poles, edges, and clearances.

• What to ask at the booth: Input formats, turnaround times, accuracy measures, and how edits or exceptions are handled.

Cyclomedia

Cyclomedia provides high resolution street-level imagery and lidar tied to GIS. It helps operators see real-world conditions up front and validate work faster after construction.

• What they do: High resolution street-level imagery and lidar for accurate ground truth.

• Where it helps: Speed walkouts and verify assets before construction. Check clearances, spans, and obstacles to reduce make-ready delays and rework. Improve as-built validation with rich context in the field and office.

• What to ask at the booth: Coverage in your footprint, accuracy specs, capture refresh cadence, and how field teams access imagery inside daily tools.

  
  

Olsson

Olsson is a multidisciplinary engineering firm with a strong GIS practice. They align civil design, permits, and construction around a single spatial source of truth.

• What they do: Engineering and design services that blend civil expertise with GIS.

• Where it helps: Keep permits, easements, traffic control, and construction packages aligned to a single source of truth. Reduce handoff friction when projects cross agencies and disciplines.

• What to ask at the booth: How multi jurisdiction programs are managed. How revisions flow to field crews. Examples of shortening review cycles.

Millennium

Millennium supports fiber deployments with materials and logistics. They keep crews supplied and production moving, with delivery visibility mapped to work zones.

• What they do: Materials, logistics, and deployment support for fiber builds.

• Where it helps: Tie materials to work areas, reduce idle crews, and keep production moving across multiple contractors. Improve forecast accuracy and staging.

• What to ask at the booth: Lead times and stocking strategies. How deliveries map to construction zones. How exceptions are handled.

Viavi Solutions Inc

VIAVI delivers network test and assurance. It certifies builds, localizes faults, and links events to place so NOC and field teams can respond faster.

• What they do: Network test and assurance, including OTDR for fiber certification and fault location integrated with GIS.

• Where it helps: Certify builds, speed fault isolation, and show distance to fault on the actual fiber span in your GIS. Give NOC and field teams a shared view of impact and priority.

• What to ask at the booth: Which measurements matter most by technology. How OTDR results map back to fiber segments and assets in your GIS. How acceptance testing is documented and routed to operations.

ISG Inc

ISG is an AEC and consulting firm that runs broadband programs with GIS. They coordinate agencies and contractors using dashboards and field apps that keep everyone aligned.

• What they do: AEC and consulting services that use GIS to guide broadband programs.

• Where it helps: Stand up executive dashboards, coordinate with cities and utilities, and connect office and field teams to one plan. Improve visibility across planning, construction, and closeout.

• What to ask at the booth: Examples of interagency coordination. Typical reporting cadence. How field updates are managed.

Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association is the industry hub for best practices, workforce, and policy. It helps leaders benchmark programs and stay current on standards and funding.

• What they do: Industry community for best practices, workforce, and policy.

• Where it helps: Benchmark your program, connect with peers, and track standards and funding trends. Identify training and certification paths for your teams.

• What to ask at the booth: Which working groups to follow. Training resources for your roles. How to engage in advocacy that supports your builds

SCTE

SCTE is the professional association for cable and broadband engineers. Its standards and training help teams deliver reliable service and operate safely at scale.

• What they do: Professional association for broadband and cable engineers, operators, and technologists focused on standards, training, and community.

• Where it helps: Benchmark practices, upskill teams, and align programs with industry standards so projects run smoother across partners and jurisdictions. Training and working groups keep teams current.

• What to ask at the conference: Which training paths map to your roles. How certification supports this year’s build and operations goals. Where standards can reduce rework in permitting, construction, testing, and maintenance.

How to use this guide at the show

Set your direction and act with confidence. Use this guide to choose where to invest next, then book a 30 minute session and we will map the first 90 days together.

Use this guide as a simple path through TechExpo. Begin by aligning your platform view so data, systems, and field apps connect in ArcGIS and every team is looking at the same map. With that foundation, visit partners to see how each workflow ties together in practice. Wrap up with a short planning session so we turn what you learned into clear next steps.

• Connect your data, systems, and field apps

• Start with a platform view. Confirm how connect through ArcGIS so every group is looking at the same map.

• Walk the partner booths above to see specific workflows in action. Look for imagery into GIS, design to build, testing to assurance, and executive reporting.

• Close the loop with Waypoint 33.

  
  

What you will leave with

By the end of the show you will have a shared picture of your program and a short, practical plan to improve speed, quality, and customer experience. These takeaways focus on standardizing what works, cleaning up what slows you down, and measuring results you can defend with data.

• Gian a shared view of where demand, cost, and risk intersect in your footprint

• Use a short list of workflows to standardize across planning, construction, and operations

• Action oriented next steps for data hygiene, integrations, and change management

• A better path to measure and understand impact of metrics like time to install, mean time to repair, and churn

  
  

See you at TechExpo

I look forward to seeing you there. If improving speed, quality, and customer experience is on your roadmap, let’s talk. Waypoint 33 is ready to help your team bring location intelligence into everyday decisions and deliver results that last.

Every journey starts with a conversation. If you’d like to explore how these ideas could fit your strategy, I’d love to connect. Book a 30 minute meeting and learn more about Waypoint 33.

— Randall René Founder & Chief Consultant, Waypoint 33